Since November 2012 John Pettit has been arrested twice for driving his own car that he reported stolen after a home robbery, and later that day located.

He says despite being told by police officers on both occasions that he was arrested that the database would be corrected, he wants confirmation his vehicle details have been taken off the databases used by police.

"Maybe I'll get arrested a third time, we could go for the trifecta.

"I've taken it up with the local member, but I guess I'll wait to either be notified by the police when I'm arrested again or by the local member saying it isn't," he says.

Mr Pettit understands the confusion has come about because some police cars are fitted with in-car computer systems which check a Queensland Transport database linked to the police database.

Clarification is being sought from Queensland Police.

The stolen car

The events which led to Mr Pettit locating his car after it was stolen from his home in Runcorn, south of Brisbane are reminiscent of an amateur detective novel.

He says once he'd reported it to police he embarked on some of his own detective work, which led him to locate his car.

"I found someone had used my credit card, so later that day I had found where they'd used my card."

He says he collected video footage of the offender from a local store's CCTV camera and handed to Police when filing his report.

Unsatisfied with time it might take police to locate the stolen vehicle John and his wife decided to look for the vehicle in the area his stolen credit card was used earlier the same day.

"I said to my wife if we don't find this car today it will be returned as a burnt out shell.

John says they quickly and easily located the car near in Loganholme, and took it home.

"Keys in it and everything...we immediately rang the police and said we'd located the vehicle and [they] could come and fingerprint it at home.

"I thought that was the end of the story," he says.

Twice since he says he has been arrested for driving the 'stolen' car, and it is unclear as to whether the car is still flagged on the database as 'stolen'.